Heat-interchanger



,fVl-rV'ON RECKLINGHAUSEN.

HEAT INTERCHANGER. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1911.

Patented Oct. H, 1921. i

NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AIR REDUCTION COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,A CORPORATION OF NEW YO.

MAX VON RECKLINGHAUSEN, F

HEAT-INTERCI-IANGER.

1,393,452, Specification of Letters Patent. P t t mm, 1921,

application filed February 27, 1917. Serial No. 151,158.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX VON REoKLINe- HAUSEN, a German citizen, and aresident of the city of New York, county of New York, State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heat-Interchangers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

In the manufacture of oxygen from the atmosphere it is generallyseparated and recovered in the form of a liquid and before charging thesame into the cylinders in which it is generally sent into commerce thesame is permitted to gasify and is stored in containers. The result ofthis is that compression apparatus must be employed to compress the gasand deliver it to the cylinders under the proper tension or compres-SlOIl.

In order to eliminate and render unnecessary this intermediatecompression operation have conceived the idea of conducting the liquidoxygen either directly or mediately into the oxygen cylinders and takingadvantage of the force of expansion due to conversion of the liquidintoa gas to bring about or effect the necessary or required compressionor tension of the oxygen gas in the cylinders.

It is well known that liquid oxygen vaporizes somewhat slowly and inorder to cauee a more rapid conversion of the gaseous oxygen into a gasI have provided an improve ment in the-construction of a heatinterchanger which interchanger not only is of great value and advantagein that it effects more rapid conversion of the liquid oxygen into a gasbut also because the relatively warm air which may be employed inconnection therewith for hastening the gasification of the liquid oxygenmay be employed as a part or even all of the atmosphere sub sequentlyliquefied in the air liquefying apparatus.

One of the objects of my invention is to struction of interchangerembodying my invention, said interchanger being provided with a conduit,the material of which consists of a metal, as for example copper, whichis a relatively good conductor of heat so that there may be a rapidinterchange of heat between the liquid oxygen in its passage through thesaid conduit and the relatlvely warm air surrounding the said conduitand being in the passageways provided for its passage around the saidconduit. The pressure of expansion exerted by the oxygen gas formed inthe said conduit is great, rendering it necessary to provide reinforcingor supporting means around the said conduit for preventing the latterfrom giving way or yielding under the force exerted by the internalpressure of the oxygen gas therein.

1 Other objects and advantages of my invention will be referred to inthe detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent fromsuch description.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood and its practicaladvantages more fully appreciated, reference should be had to theaccompanying drawing in which I have illustrated one constructional formof embodiment thereof. It will be understood, however, that changes maybe made in the details of construction Without departing from myinvention or from the principle thereof as the same is described in thespecification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a central longitudinal sectional view of aheat interchanger embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1'.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a conduit or passageway for thepassage of a liquefied or a cold unliquefied gas, for exa5 ample,oxygen. It is my idea that liquid provide a heat interchanger of aconstrucoxygen, for instance, shall be introduced tion adapted to effectrapid interchange of intothe conduit or passageway 1 from a tube heatbetween a liquefied gas, as for instance, 2 leading from a supply, notshown, of liqoxygen and external substances, as for inuid oxygen. Theconduit 1 preferably 50 stance, relatively warm air. should consist of ametal, such as copper,

A further object of my invention is to which is a good conductor ofheat. provide a heat interchanger which is com-' In the constructionshown the conduit 1 pact and durable and which may be cheaply isprovided externally with a groove or duct and economically constructed.3 which extends spirally around the said at In the drawing I haveillustrated a con-- conduit from near one end thereof to near the other,as is clearly indicated in the drawing. The said groove or duet neednot, however, extend spirally around the said conduit as shown, but maybe otherwise placed and otherwise extended around the same. The oxygenwhich enters the conduit or passageway 1 in the form of a liquid leavesthe same as a gas through the pipe 4: and may be conducted through thepipe 4: directly to an oxygen cylinder or to a pipe common to aplurality of oxygen cylinders to be filled or charged with gaseousoxygen under proper tension or pressure. The metal of the conduit orpassageway 1 in the construction shown consisting of copper and thelatter being relatively weak would be liable to burst or break open dueto internal pressure of expansion of the oxygen gas therein,consequently I have provided a surrounding tubular member 8of-relatively strong metal which fits closely against the vexteriorsurface of the said conduit or passageway 1.

There are various ways in which the surrounding tubular member 8 may beapplied to and fitted closely against the exterior surface of the member1, but such different ways of effecting such close fitting relationshipwill not be described as they form no part of the invention intended tobe claimed herein. The spiral groove or duct as already indicated may bereplaced by an equivalent groove or duct.

The relatively warm air or equivalent fluid is introduced into thespiral passageway 3 through an opening at 10 and travels thenceforwardly through the said spiral passageway and issues therefromthrough the pipe 11.

In order to secure greater efficiency I prefer to surround the tubularmember 8 with a second or outside tubular member 12, the said tubularmember 12 being spaced from the member 8 so as to form or provide anannular chamber 13 between the inner surface of the tubular member 12and the outer surface of the tubular member 8. The relatively warm airor' equivalent substance enters the annular chamber or space 13 througha pipe 14 near the top thereof and passes downwardly in the annularchamber 13 and around the tubular member 8 and finally passes from thesaid chamber through the opening 10 into the spiral passageway 3 andupwardly therein and finally out through the pipe 11.

It will, of course, be understood that the interchanger may be employedwith very satisfactory results without the presence of the outsidetubular member 12, in which case the pipe 14 should be connected withthe opening 10 so as to discharge directly into the spiral passageway 3.

I claim 2-- 1. A heat interchanger comprising a central conduit for thepassage of a cold or a li uefied gas, the said conduit having apassageway exteriorly thereof, a tubular member fitting closely againstthe exterior of the said conduit, a tubular member surrounding the saidfirst named tubular member and spaced therefrom to form an annularchamber intermediate the said tubular members, the first named tubularmember having openings therein communicating with the opposite endportions of the said passageway, means for supplying a relatively warmfluid to the said annular chamber and means for conveying such fluidfrom the said passageway.

2. A-heat interchanger comprising a central conduit consisting of ametal which is a relatively good conductor of heat, said conduit havinga spiral passageway formed upon the exterior thereof, means forsupplying a cold or a liquefied gas to the passage through the saidconduit, a tubular member surrounding and fitting closely against theexterior of the said conduit to close the outer sides of the said spiralpassageway and to support and reinforce the said conduit to resistinternal pressure and means for delivering a relatively warm fluid tothe said spiral passageway and conveying the same therefrom.

3. A heat interchanger comprising a conduit consisting of a metal whichis a relatively good conductor of heat, said conduit being provided witha spiral passageway formed exteriorly thereof, a tubular member ofrelatively strong metal surrounding and fitting closely against theexterior of the said conduit and closing the outer side of the saidspiral passageway, a second tubular member surrounding the first namedtubular member and being spaced therefrom to form an annular chamberintermediate the said tubular members, means for delivering relativelyWarm air to the said annular chamber which air enters the spiralpassageway adjacent to one end thereof and means communicating with thesaid spiral passa eway at a point adjacent its opposite end or conveyingthe said relatively warm air therefrom.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereuntosigned my name this 23 day of February, A. D. 1917.

MAX VON RECKLINGHAUSEN.

